Camp
A camp is a site where a Clan makes its permanent home. It is where the cats sleep, meet, bring fresh-kill, get treated for injuries or illness, receive orders, share tongues, make reports to the Clan leader or deputy, and have ceremonies. Some cats, such as queens, kits, and elders stay in the camp, while the warriors, apprentices, deputy, and leader patrol the territory and hunt. Each Clan has one camp. Location Each camp is situated on the Clan's own territory. The main criteria for choosing a site that is: *Is difficult to attack, and easy to defend. *Is at a safe distance from Twolegs, Twoleg facilities, and other dangers. *Is large enough to accommodate all Clan cats. *Has a source of water in the camp or nearby. *Has places for a warrior den, apprentice den, nursery, medicine cat den, elders den, and leader's den. Structure Most camps are surrounded by some means of natural protection (such as thickets, stone walls or water) that shelter them both from weather and enemy attacks. They usually have a single entrance, where only one cat can pass at a time (such as a tunnel under the thickets) along with one small entrance and exit to make dirt. In addition to the natural defense, warriors patrol and protect the camp day and night. Main clearing All camps contain a large, open area in their middle. Cats gather here to meet each other, sun themselves, share tongues and participate in Clan meetings. The main clearing usually also contains: *The fresh-kill pile, a spot where hunters drop the prey they caught and brought to the camp and where cats get their food from. Sometimes, if it has rained, they will store their prey in the ground to keep it dry. *A vantage point from where the leader addresses the Clan during a meeting, such as a large rock or a branch of a tree. Dens Dens are sheltered locations (such as thickets or caves) used by a cat or a group of cats to rest, sleep and recover. Beddings of moss, bracken, wool, and ferns are used to rest on. The dens are usually cleaned and tidied by the apprentices of the Clan. Most camps contain all (or several) of the following: *'Nursery' - The den shared between the queens and kits, usually the safest and most protected. *'Apprentices' den' - The den shared between the apprentices. *'Warriors' den' - The den shared between the warriors and the deputy. Senior warriors usually sleep towards the center, where it is warmer, while younger cats sleep near the edge, where it is colder. *'Medicine cat's den' - The den that belongs to the medicine cat and their apprentice, who store their herbs and other supplies here as well.[2] Cats with severe injuries and illness also rest here until they recover and are able to return to their own dens. *'Elders' den' - The den shared between the elders, usually the second most protected. *'Leader's den' - The den where the Clan leader lives, usually the nicest den. They usually spend most of the day here in seclusion and undisturbed; however, they can be visited by other cats, or choose to spend the night with their mate. Outer facilities The following can be encountered in the vicinity of the camp: *'Burial place' - A location where dead Clanmates are buried. *'Dirtplace' - A location where the cats make dirt, and dump inedible food (bones, feathers, crowfood). Known Camps At The Lake DawnClan The DawnClan camp is a flat area that once used to be a hill and is surrounded by a stone wall with a bramble-and-fern-tunnel entrance/exit.